


New Rules

by xBreeButterflyx



Series: Alec Lightwood’s Triangle of Love [1]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst, Confident Alec Lightwood, Heartbreak, Hurt Alec Lightwood, Hurt Magnus Bane, I promise this series will have a good ending, Jealous Alec Lightwood, Jealous Magnus Bane, Love Triangles, M/M, Moving On, Post-Break Up, Post-Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood Break Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-02-05
Packaged: 2019-10-22 23:22:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17672081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xBreeButterflyx/pseuds/xBreeButterflyx
Summary: Alec has sat at the bar in Pandemonium for several nights watching Magnus flirt with other people post-break up. So whenever a handsome mundane offers him a dance he decides its time for him to do the same.





	New Rules

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t hate me for this. I noticed the total lack of Malec love triangles on this site so I decided I would be the brave soul to fix that XD

The beer in his grip was beginning to taste nasty after so many nights spent here wallowing in his own misery. All he could associate with the flavor anymore was the countless tears that had been shed, the unspeakable pain, and the multiple times he’d had to have Jace pick his wasted ass up off of these very same floors and drag him home because he was too sick to even move. He drank anyway. He could at least down one. Just to relax his nerves a little while he waited on his sister and parabatai to finish up their stupid partying.

The total hatred he felt being in this club went beyond his standard grumpy introverted attitude. He was mostly over that at this point in his life. No, what made him so unhappy was the fact that this club was owned by his ex boyfriend, Magnus Bane. The wounds from that terrible split they’d went through all those months ago still felt fresh whenever he was within the mesmerizing warlock’s proximity. It hurt beyond anything he’d ever experienced every time he was dragged here and forced to watch in agonizing silence as his ex boyfriend laughed, flirted, and danced with any random clubber that caught his eye.

The shadowhunter didn’t know how much more of this he could take. Magnus was currently leaning against the other end of the bar, pretending that Alec didn’t even exist as he shamelessly flirted with some pink-haired fay girl. The woman was practically fucking him with her eyes, taking every opportunity to brush her fingers over his arms or push her half-exposed cleavage into his direct line of vision. Alec gritted his teeth hard and threw back the rest of his drink in one go.

He could’ve sworn he saw Magnus glance over at him from the corner of his eye. This little game they had been playing was getting very old very fast. The looks of longing and regret that they repeatedly shot at one another all throughout these nights from a distance. But neither man uttered a word and they both adamantly refused to approach. Their relationship was long over and so was any shred of chance of repair. So it felt, anyway.

Magnus tore his eyes away when the fay girl whispered something into his ear, eyes dark and seductive as she pulled back. Then just like that their staring game was over for the night. The warlock enveloped himself back into his previous conversation. Alec had never taken too kindly to being ignored. It frustrated him to no end. How could Magnus just sit there and flirt so effortlessly with this woman in front of him? Had their relationship been entirely one-sided? Had the warlock even cared about him at all?

“Hey-“

Alec flinched back as he felt someone’s hand touch his own. He whirled around, ready to send a punch flying at whoever thought it was a good idea to put their hands on him, but halted instead. The person standing before him wasn’t a threat, he looked totally harmless. Concern was etched into his handsome features. This man’s aura couldn’t have screamed ‘mundane’ any louder if it had tried.

Electric blue eyes met honey brown and all prior thoughts that had been racing through the hunter’s brain went radio silent. The guy standing in front of him was nothing short of _stunning_. He was all smooth, pale skin and gentle, elegant features. His eyes were big and bright, concern filling them up entirely. The man’s platinum blonde hair was pushed back out of his eyes in a meticulously-placed style. He was fairly tall, nearly as tall as Alec himself, and a slightly muscular frame that fit his face well. He was dressed in a simple light gray sweater with a white collar, his sleeves rolled up all the way to his elbows. Insanely tight charcoal black jeans hugged his hips enticingly, tucked neatly into a pair of laced up mid-calf high boots.

This man even wore makeup. It wasn’t very prominent to the naked eye, but it was there if you looked close enough. Subtle traces of liquid foundation across his face and kohl-lined eyes made for a lethally beautiful appearance. While Magnus’ personality quite literally screamed confidence with his every word and move, this man’s was lighter. His confidence radiated off of him in gentle waves, a calming presence in a heavy storm of alpha males.

Alec was at a loss for words. How a simple mundie could enrapture him so easily and so thoroughly was a mystery to him.

“It looked like you were going to cut your hand open from how hard you had been gripping that glass. Are you okay?” The blonde asked as he leaned his side into the bar’s counter and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans.

The only thing Alec could think to do to respond was a simple shrug. He was an absolute goner when it came to drop dead gorgeous men with captivating eyes to match. That has always been and always would be is one and only kryptonite. The hunter mustered up all of the courage he had inside of him and pulled his lips into an inviting smile.

“I’m better now that you’re here. Thank you for asking. My name’s Alec,” he greeted, outstretching his palm towards the mundane.

The other boy smirked at his flirtation attempt and shook his hand. He was staring at Alec with slightly conveyed interest sparking across the deep pools of honey in his eyes. “Well, Alec, my name is Carter. And all that you really need to know about me is that I’m a sucker for tall men with pretty blue eyes and that I love dance. Would you care to join me?” He asked as he extended a hand towards the hunter with a slight raise of one of his eyebrows.

He didn’t answer straight away. Alec wanted so badly to accept the offer that he’d given him and allow this handsome mundane to drag him out to the dance floor. But on the other hand his heart was still aching for Magnus. His first love, his first kiss, his first _everything_. Speaking of the warlock, it had been a good few minutes since Alec had last glanced in his direction. He opted to do that and sat dumbfounded at the way the warlock’s eyes were glaring razor-sharp daggers into Carter’s head. Suddenly, Alec’s mind had been made up.

“I would love to.”

His response caused Carter’s smile to brighten, and his eyes lit up like fireworks as Alec laced his fingers through the ones extended towards him. Alec quickly shoved his jacket off and tossed it into his seat, revealing a black, sleeveless skin-tight shirt. If Magnus could stand there and flirt and dance with strangers then why couldn’t Alec do the same? This was the very first man that the hunter had felt so undeniably drawn to since he met his ex boyfriend. For once he let his heart do all the talking and shouldered off all of his innermost thoughts and insecurities. If he wanted to dance with someone then he would and there wasn’t a damn thing in the world that could stop him from doing so. He was done being the shy, blushing boy from his childhood and ready to become the confident, capable man that he knew he had always been destined to be.

So he followed Carter to the dance floor and let himself get lost in the way his crimson-painted fingernails dug into the slightly exposed part of his waist and the hot minty breath that blew softly into Alec’s sensitive neck. The song currently playing wasn’t really the best to dance to, but it wasn’t very long before the next one came on.

_Talkin' in my sleep at night, makin' myself crazy_

_(Out of my mind, out of my mind)_

_Wrote it down and read it out, hopin' it would save me_

_(Too many times, too many times)_

_My love, he makes me feel like nobody else, nobody else_

_But my love, he doesn't love me, so I tell myself, I tell myself_

They started out somewhat slow, swaying their hips to the music echoing through the crowd and pulling each other back and forth as they swept across the dance floor. For the first time in Raziel knows how long Alec started to feel completely at ease in this club. His heartbeat began to speed up, and it wasn’t because of the dancing.

Magnus was practically seething at this point. The fay girl kept tapping his shoulder, trying to regain his attention, but it was of no use. The warlock payed her no mind, as if she wasn’t even there to begin with. He refused to tear his eyes away from the way Carter’s fingers gripped Alec’s bare skin. Jealousy and possessiveness was pouring off of the man, and it thrilled the hunter. Adrenaline ran through his veins as he finally felt like the one in control, the one with all of the power in this dynamic of theirs. It was like a breath of fresh air. He would taunt the warlock with what he could never have again. Just like he’d been doing to him for several weeks now.

_One: Don't pick up the phone_

_You know he's only callin' 'cause he's drunk and alone_

_Two: Don't let him in_

_You'll have to kick him out again_

_Three: Don't be his friend_

_You know you're gonna wake up in his bed in the morning_

_And if you're under him, you ain't gettin' over him_

The lyrics hit home for Alec. But he shut all of those negative thoughts and feelings out of his mind for the time being. He focused solely on the warm body pressed up against him, igniting a fire in his chest that he was helpless to control. Even if he wanted to. Their dancing had sped up, the pair swinging around and sliding their bodies up against the other to the beat of the song. They complimented each other. Alec’s dark, intense aura colliding with Carter’s bright, airy one as if they were always meant to be. Maybe they were...

_I got new rules, I count 'em_

_I got new rules, I count 'em_

_I gotta tell them to myself_

_I got new rules, I count 'em_

_I gotta tell them to myself_

Alec gasped as Carter pulled him into his arms and dipped him, his ebony hair just barely brushing the floor. His gasp turned into a laugh when the man pulled him back into his body and began to spin them lightning-fast around and around amidst the other clubbers. This was one of the only times he’d felt so calm and happy since his breakup. The proximity in which Carter was dancing with him, the heat of the room, and the way the music ran through his veins felt unworldly. It was exhilarating like nothing Alec had ever experienced before. Was this why Magnus had wanted him to dance with him so much? He felt sorry he hadn’t done this sooner.

_I keep pushin' forwards, but he keeps pullin' me backwards_

_(Nowhere to turn, no way)_

_(Nowhere to turn, no)_

_Now I'm standin' back from it, I finally see the pattern_

_(I never learn, I never learn)_

_But my love, he doesn't love me, so I tell myself, I tell myself_

_I do, I do, I do_

His heart was thumping wildly against his chest when their dancing began to take a naughtier turn. Carter’s leg slotted between his own and they slowly gyrated against each other, curious hands exploring heated bodies and eyes locked in a lustful trance. It felt so good to be on the receiving end of these kinds of stares after so long of being without them. Even the few onlookers in the area surrounding him caused his adrenaline to surge.

They continued their same dance through the last chorus into this next one. The heat died down enough for matching grins to spread across their lips, excitement and desire pumping through their blood. The honey in Carter’s eyes was barely prominent anymore as his pupils dilated. Alec’s sure his eyes weren’t fairing much better if the stirring in his groin had anything to say about it.

He spotted his sister Isabelle sitting in the seat at the bar where his abandoned jacket rested. Jace, the carrot, and the vampire were standing next to her. Every bit of their attention was trained on Alec and the man he was dancing with. Isabelle held up her phone, not even trying to hide the fact that she was recording this, a bright, proud smile lighting up her face. Jace had that very same smile mirrored in his own lips albeit a tad more subtly, his arms crossed over his chest as he leant against the counter. Clary and Simon just stood there thoroughly dumbfounded, matching astonished expressions trained on him and the way he moved his body against the mundane’s. This spiked Alec’s confidence enough for him to finally take the initiative.

_One: Don't pick up the phone (yeah)_

_You know he's only callin' 'cause he's drunk and alone (alone)_

_Two: Don't let him in (uh-ooh)_

_You'll have to kick him out again (again)_

_Three: Don't be his friend_

_You know you're gonna wake up in his bed in the morning_

_And if you're under him, you ain't gettin' over him_

The shadowhunter yanked the mundane forward by his mesmerizing hips and spun him around, pulling his back flush against his own chest and sliding his hands up under his sweater, sweaty fingers tracing even sweatier abs. Alec buried his face into the man’s neck, brushing his lips against the pale, unblemished skin underneath his mouth. He felt the trembling gasp Carter released more than he heard it. He was too lost in the music to try to listen to anything else. Only after he regained his bearings, the man in his arms began to thrust his ass back against Alec’s pelvis, tilting his head back to rest against the hunter’s broad shoulder. His eyes were more dazed than smoldering now, lust overflowing his brain to the point of no return.

_I got new rules, I count 'em_

_I got new rules, I count 'em_

_(Whoa-ooh, whoa-ooh, whoa)_

_I gotta tell them to myself_

_I got new rules, I count 'em_

_(Baby, you know I count 'em)_

_I gotta tell them to myself_

Alec’s eyes fluttered open again, lips still moving against Carter’s throat, when he locked eyes with his ex boyfriend again. The fury from before was gone without a trace. Left behind in its wake was nothing but hurt and adoration. He seemed almost...proud. But still pretty hurt, nonetheless. Alec had finally grown into the man he was meant to be and it seemed Magnus had taken notice. The hunter finally felt comfortable in his own skin, confident like he’d never felt. The pain momentarily washed away as he danced, too enraptured with this beautiful mundane to focus on anything else for very long.

_Don't let him in, don't let him in_

_Don't, don't, don't, don't_

_Don't be his friend, don't be his friend_

_Don't, don't, don't, don't_

_Don't let him in, don't let him in_

_Don't, don't, don't, don't_

_Don't be his friend, don't be his friend_

_Don't, don't, don't, don't_

_You're gettin' over him_

It was Alec’s turn to gasp as Carter spun out of his grip and jerked him forward by his shirt. The man slid his free hand up and down the hunter’s side. Alec’s breath was promptly take away when Carter’s lips were just a hair shy of brushing against his own. Their eyes locked once more and their shared breaths were closed off as Carter threw his arm around Alec’s neck and smashed their mouths together. They were so caught up in the kiss that they failed to notice that the song had changed. They moved their lips together in a slow, dirty dance of passion that took away every single urge to breathe that Alec had left.

Angel knows how much Alec had missed this. How much his chest ached for it as he lay restless within his sheets at the institute every night. He had no idea how he’d made it this long without it, but now that he had it again he never wanted it to end. Carter’s lips were so soft yet so firm, a grounding presence within his spiraling reality.

“What do you say we get out of here, hm?” Carter breathed against his lips once they’d parted.

Alec was too kiss-drunk to think straight anymore so he just nodded, mind foggy and lungs aching within his chest from how long he’d went without oxygen. He would probably go along with just about anything anyone suggested right now. If somebody asked him if he wanted to go running through the New York nightlife with them stripped naked as the day he was born he’d be down. Alec let himself be pulled through the crowd by his wrist and out one of the side doors of the nightclub. He didn’t have time to speak before he was slammed up against one of the walls to the alleyway, a clothed thigh nudging itself into his rock solid crotch as his lips were devoured once more.

He let himself get lost in it all. He grabbed a handful of the mundane’s ass and pulled him into his body as much as was physically possible. His heart skipped a beat as a hand began to slide slowly down his chest, creeping dangerously closer to where he literally throbbed for touch. When he felt smooth fingers dip below the waistband of his jeans and sinking down to brush against his dick, he gasped and shoved the mundane away. The man stumbled backwards and nearly hit his head on the other wall, righting himself just in time.

He seemed angry at first, but when he noticed the lost little look on Alec’s face his eyes softened and he cautiously approached the hunter. As if he was a wild, unpredictable animal that could put his life into potential danger.

Carter’s fingers brushed softly against his jaw, running down the line of it until he met the juncture between his neck and chin. “What’s the matter?”

A lump the size of a golf ball grew inside his throat, nearly making him choke. Why couldn’t he have just went along with the flow from before? It would’ve been so much easier to just sleep with the man and then disappear into the night instead of what his heart was telling him. But alas, Magnus had been right about one thing. Alec was a traditional kind of guy, and he just wasn’t comfortable with one night stands. If he was to have sex with someone, it had to be a person he was emotionally involved with and committed to. It was just who he was. He couldn’t force it, as much as he wanted to.

Sometimes, when Alec let himself spiral into his darkest thoughts and feelings, he wished he could be more like Magnus. Confidence came so easy to the warlock and he wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. He wouldn’t hesitate to bring home a lover for the night. He lived his life free as a bird. He did what he wanted and when he wanted to do it. If there was somewhere Magnus wanted to go he couldn’t be grounded. He was graceful and loud and untouchable and everything that Alec wasn’t. Everything that Alec would probably never be.

That meant that his time with this amazing man was nearly over. They could never engage in a relationship no matter how much either wished to. Alec refused to drag an innocent mundane into the nasty cruelty of the shadow world for his own selfish reasons. Carter didn’t deserve to be put into that kind of danger. It was better for him to remain oblivious to it all and to live his life free and ignorant like the rest of the mundane’s.

“I-I just can’t. I’m not really...um, cut out for this one night stand stuff,” Alec admitted quietly, eyes glued straight down to his boots in self-depreciation.

Despite his rapidly growing confidence, he was still forced to fight against his insecurities at times. Now was one of those times. It wasn’t so easy to just instantly erase all of those years of misery and self-loathing from his brain. But it was a process and he knew he’d get there with time.

Carter huffed out a laugh. “Whoever said this had to be just a one night stand?” He asked.

“Me.”

Instead of the hurt or even anger that he’d been expecting to be thrown at him, the man’s demeanor shifted into something between cocky and understanding. An odd mix to say the least. It puzzled him so he simply stared, trying to gain a reading on this cryptic man. Alec couldn’t make any sort of sense out of it. But he didn’t have to. Because before he could say anything else, Carter beat him to the punch.

“Is it because of that man you were staring at back at the bar or is this because you’re a shadowhunter?” He said bluntly.

Alec’s eyeballs practically bulged out of his head. He began to sputter, trying to formulate some kind of answer but to no avail. Carter’s smirk only grew as he watched the shadowhunter unravel in silence. How the hell did this guy know about shadowhunters and more importantly how did he figure out that Alec was one himself? He’d glamoured his runes before entering the club. Somebody had to have exposed it to him and forgotten to do a memory wipe or something. It didn’t make much sense but neither did anything anymore.

Carter decided to give his jumbled mess of a brain a bit of a break.

“I believe I’m what your people call a ‘mundane with the sight’,” he elaborated.

Oh...

That made so much more sense. Alec didn’t think of it at first because of just how rare these cases really are. He’d only heard of a handful in his entire life. He’d never met one, but now that he had it left him shocked to the core.

Carter continued. “I’m going to assume it’s my second guess. I’ve met a few of your kind before. You shadowhunters are so noble and mysterious. You’re like a pack of Batman clones but with runes and swords,” he chuckled quietly.

The hunter’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “What’s a Batman?”

A snort echoed across the walls of they alley. “Nothing,” Carter grinned, staring at Alec with such fondness that it nearly melted him on the spot. He stared at the hunter as if he was the most entrancing thing he’d ever seen before.

“How long did it take you to figure me out?” Alec asked, curiosity edging the sound of his voice.

“About as long as it took you to down that drink. Your glamour is strong, but my perceptiveness is stronger.”

Alec rolled his eyes, a small, private smile gracing his lips. One dance and a confession later and this mundane already had Alec at his mercy. He was just so damn beautiful and smart and all Alec wanted to do was spend the rest of the night trying to figure him out. He was a book of wonder and Alec had an inkling feeling that with every page he turned he’d fall further and further into his world.

A thought popped into his head and he giggled. Yes, like a schoolgirl. And no, he was not proud of it. “So do you just have some kind of thing for shadowhunters or something?”

Carter’s eyes slightly darkened with the prior lust they’d held. “I have a thing for you,” he admitted.

Only silence followed. The sexual tension had returned. The men didn’t have to wonder who would act on it first for long before they both collided into each other at the same time. Alec shoved Carter into the wall behind him and kissed the mundane as if his very life depended on it. It was beautiful and messy and imperfect but it was everything.

Alec was excited to see what the next chapter would hold.

**Author's Note:**

> The song playing during the dance is ‘New Rules’ by Dua Lipa. If you haven’t heard it you should listen to it because it’s gold and I felt it went perfectly with this scene.


End file.
